Harry faced Voldemort on the battle field. His wand had been broken by Hermione at Godric’s Hollow and he was using the hawthorn wand he had won from Draco Malfoy. Neither of the two combatants expected their wands to react the way they did. They connected just like in the graveyard during Harry’s fourth year. They were surrounded by a golden cage and Harry could hear the phoenix song resonating though his body giving him strength and courage. Harry with some effort started pushing the pulsing connection point towards his opponent. As it continued to move steadily towards him Voldemort’s eyes grew wide.

“Hey Moldy, would this be a good time to tell you I’ve destroyed all your Horcruxes?” Harry yelled his question and watched panic appear on Voldemort’s face. A second later the connection reached his wand and both were thrown back from the resulting explosion. Harry felt an odd sensation as he flew through the air, then he hit and everything went dark.

A few minutes prior…

Ron knocked out his opponent and turned to find Harry facing Voldemort. The wands connected and the golden cage surrounded them. Ron recognized it from Harry’s description from years before. Confused all he could do was watch as the event unfolded before him. He could see Harry’s mouth move and then there was an explosion and a flash of white light. When his eyes cleared Ron saw Voldemort‘s body on one side but nothing on the other… Harry was gone.

In another place…

He was floating and it was peaceful and quiet. He didn’t worry about how long he had been there. He didn’t worry about where he was from. He had no thoughts he just floated enjoying it all. Suddenly noise intruded on his peace and with the noise came pain. He tried to go back to the peaceful place but it was gone.

“Wait.” he heard someone yell over the den. When they yelled that the rest of the noise decreased, “He’s back. Look.”

“How in the world did that happen?”

“Don’t know, but I think he’s even awake.”

“Young man, are you awake can you squeeze my fingers?” He felt something press the palm of his hand and he tried to close his hand to see what it was, but it disappeared.

“Good.” Someone patted his arm.

He wanted to ask what was going on but something was holding his mouth shut. He tried to reach up with this hand to remove it but his arm was too tired to move. As he was trying to move someone pulled something off his face. When they did he found he could move his mouth.

“What’s going on?” his question sounded weak like a small child. His voice was rough but to soft for anyone to hear he thought.

“You’re in the emergency room. They just brought you in; they say it was a car accident.”

“Where?”

“Southview Memorial Hospital.”

“Where?”

“In Sidney.”

“Where?”

“Australia.”

“Where?’

“How about planet earth, does that ring any bells?”

“No.”

“Looks like amnesia doctor.”

“You think? Let’s just get some of these injuries under wraps. Hand me that syringe Smith.”

A few hours later he was more aware of what was happening and he felt like he’d been run over by a bus. A man walked into his room followed by a woman both were wearing what looked like pajamas. His were green and hers had pictures on them but he couldn’t see them because he didn’t have his glasses.

“Well now how are we feeling?”

“Fine but do I have glasses somewhere?”

“They were broken in your accident. Regardless I think you feeling fine is a bit of an exaggeration. Do you hurt anywhere?”

“A few places.”

“Which will be faster, showing me the places that hurt or the ones that don’t?” the doctor raised an eyebrow.

“Ok so I hurt everywhere.”

“That’s more like it. Not that I want you to hurt but you are one big bruise. Can you tell me what happened?”

“I don’t know but there may have been a bus involved. I feel like it ran me over and then backed up because it didn’t do a good enough job the first time.”

The doctor chuckled, “You could be right. Ok how about your name?”

“I’ve got a name.” the injured man said scratching his head or rather the bandages on it, “I just can’t find it right now.”

“Not surprising. You have quite a nasty head injury. It seems as though your head took a couple of bounces off something very hard.”

“Lovely.” the man said, “So can you tell me what happened?”

“You were found alongside the road in a low traffic area. We suspect hit and run but no tire tracks were found so we don’t think they even bothered to slow down.”

Several weeks later they were ready to release him from the Hospital. He still didn’t know who he was but his physical injuries were nearly healed. The hospital staff had decided he was around seventeen or eighteen but no parents or anyone else had shown up looking for him. So they had put him in touch with an agency that would help him out. The agency in turn provided him with a few sets of clothes and a place to stay for a while.

“Come now.” Nurse Smith said, “They’ll be here shortly to pick you up. I can’t release you without a name.”

“But I don’t like any of your ideas.”

“Then make one up.” The nurse was getting exasperated at his stubbornness, “The Wilkins are nice enough to give you a place to live do you think making them wait is a sign of appreciation?”

“Fine, I like… Wesley.” he said liking the sound of it as he said it. It sounded familiar somehow.

“Ocean please and just call me Wesley.” he said as he followed the man through the door, “I appreciate you taking me in Mr. Wilkins.”

“Nonsense Wesley and call me Wendell.” he replied, “This is why we volunteer at the agency; helping out folks is what we do. We enjoy having youth around the house. Monica and I always wanted children but couldn’t have any.”

“I always wanted parents and couldn’t have any so I guess we’re a match.” Wesley said and then looked up in shock, “Hey, that was a memory, I’m an orphan.” He paused for a moment then said, “This is odd, I’m excited because I’m an orphan.”

“No you’re excited because you have a memory.” Wendell said smiling, “That was really quick. Dr. Marcus said it would probably come back in spurts. You have enough time to unpack before dinner.”

“Thanks again Wendell.” Wesley looked around his room. Just like the rest of the house it had an open feel and was cheerfully bright and airy. So much better that that claustrophobic hospital room. He opened the window and leaned against it listening to the ocean. He could hear the waves crashing on the shore and it made a sense of peace steal over him. After several moments his stomach growled reminding him to unpack so he could eat.

The clothes the agency provided weren’t bad; he felt he had worn worse. He was grateful for the clothes no matter what they looked like. With no memory and no money he would hate to know what would have happened to him when he left the hospital. He felt lucky beyond his wildest dreams to have a place offered that was just a few blocks from the beach. Finally all his clothes were unpacked. All that was left was the bag from the hospital. That bag contained everything that had been on him when he was found. The hospital called them his personal effects. He didn’t know what was so personal about two sticks but he kept them hoping they were a clue that he would be able to follow to find… whatever it was he needed to find. Memories perhaps but he couldn’t help wondering if it was something more. He hid the sticks in the bottom of his sock drawer deciding the mess would surely hide them. For some reason he didn’t want anyone else to know he kept them. The clothes he hid in the closet. They were mangled but he felt like he should keep them as a reminder of what he lost.

As Wesley was getting comfortable in his room Ron Weasley was having a fit at the Burrow, “They can’t do this. I can’t believe they would desert him like this. He freed us all and this is how they repay him.”

“Ron we have no other explanation.” Arthur told his son, “We don’t want to believe it either but the Auror’s are needed badly. They need to be gathering up the Death Eaters. They can’t be spared to continue the search.”

“Fine let them stop looking.” Ron exclaimed, “But don’t let them say he’s dead because he isn’t. Those pathetic, blood sucking, morons we call the Wizengamot just want what’s in his vault. They don’t care about him.”

“Relax Ron.” Kingsley said confidently, “We have one year from the day they proclaim him dead to make any disputes. We’ll find him way before then. The order won’t stop looking and that contains quite a number of Aurors.”

“What happens if we don’t find him?” Ron whispered.

“After one year they can take the contents of his vault and we won’t be able to stop them. I can’t believe they’re doing this so quickly. There has to be a…” Hermione was in tears but at her sudden thought her eyes quickly dried and she smiled.

“What are you going to do?” Ron asked worried from her expression.

“I’m going to do what I do best.” she grinned, “Professor McGonagall, can I use the Hogwarts Library?”

“Of course.”

“Hermione we won’t find Harry in the library, why do you want to go there?” Ron asked.

“To find the loophole.” Hermione said, “Every law has at least one. I’ll find it and then even if Harry is still gone they won’t be able to touch his stuff. I finally understand why Harry went off on Mundungus.”

“What?” Molly asked, “I didn’t know he had.”

“He was selling off Black family heirlooms. Sirius had said he could have them but to Harry they were his only link left to his Godfather. He attacked Mundungus in Hogsmeade and threatened to do him bodily harm.” Ron smiled fondly remembering the day, “I thought he was mental but, Hermione’s right I understand why he did it now. I don’t want Harry’s stuff for me, I want it for Harry and I want him back.”

“I’m going to help Hermione.” Ginny said. Every head in the room turned toward the red headed girl with her head on the table. She hadn’t spoken since the battle where Harry had disappeared. She lifted her head off the table and asked, “Are we going now?” Hermione nodded so Ginny headed to the door, “Let’s go.” Looking back at her family she said, “If he’s not found by my birthday I’ll be joining the search party.”

Hermione and Ginny had been living at Hogwarts for the last month. It was easier that way. They just had to walk to the library and those searching from the Burrow wouldn’t worry about them being home alone at night. When Kingsley had announced the Wizengamot’s decision he had expressed the Weasley’s and his own dissatisfaction with their actions. The announcement along with the Minister’s disapproval gave way to an outcry of public opinion that was against the decision. It had a silver lining though; people’s displeasure led them to aid in the search for the missing youth. Now instead of a dozen or so Aurors looking for Harry they had half the country. And instead of just Hermione and Ginny at the library they had a host of volunteers helping them.

At breakfast on Ginny’s birthday the two girls were reading the prophet over their eggs. A woman came running in yelling and the girls looked up, “I think I have something. Is this what you’ve been looking for?”

As she read Hermione got excited, “Yes, yes this is it we just have to…” some of her excitement left, “we just have to prove they have ulterior motives for this. We have to prove they are doing this for themselves not for the magical community. We need to do background checks on everyone and prove their real reason for taking his money.”

“I’ve heard that they don’t want to pay him the award for you-know-who.” the woman said, “Although it was only a part of the Wizengamot that voted this in.”

“What was the vote on it?” Ginny asked, “I never heard. “

“Twenty six to twenty four, it was a majority and that’s all they needed.”

“Great so we only have to do this on twenty six people then.” Ginny grimaced.

“We need a list of who voted for it.” Hermione said getting up, “I’m going to see if Professor McGonagall can get it from Kingsley.”

At lunch they got a surprise. All the Weasley’s plus Kingsley joined them, “About a week after the vote they locked up the records of who voted. But being the paranoid old Auror that I am I had gotten a copy of the list before they locked it up. What’s your plan?”

“Can we get copies of their voting records?” Hermione asked, “We want everyone’s not just those who voted for it. That will hide the fact that we have the list.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Kingsley smiled, “Oh and I’ve finally heard back from the Australian Ministry about your parents they’re going to begin the search. Sorry it’s taken so long to get it started, politics can be a nightmare.”